Use of electromagnetic field pulses (EMFP) for the treatment of chronic disorders like arthritis, tendonitis and inflammation are well known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,376,065, 4,266,532, 4,461,663, 4,535,775, 3,890,953, 3,893,462, 3,952,751 and 4,667,809. In some of these previously described methods, a section of the body to be treated, such as a limb, is placed inside an annular coil. EMFP are then applied within clinically usable frequencies in order to produce endogenous regeneration by stimulating cartilage and/or connective tissue. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,270,746, 3,329,149 and 3,952,751. It is to be understood that the above described methods are reflective of the efforts in the prior art to employ bursts of EMFP in the megahertz range, as opposed to other efforts in the prior art, which employ bursts of pulses of electromagnetic waves which are in the kilohertz range or lower.
In the past ten years, relatively high frequency EMFP has been used in the treatment of various disorders (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,454,882, 4,674,482, 4,998,532 and 5,014,699). Also in recent years the clinical use of EMFP at radio frequencies has been used. In these areas pulse bursts having sinusoidal or other form have been used. The frequency used is often around 27 MHz with each pulse burst typically exhibiting a width of sixty-five microseconds and containing a range of 1,100 to 10,000 pulses per burst, and with a pulse burst repetition rate in the range of 0.01 to 1,000 Hertz.
However, while there has been a large amount of research in the use of EMFP for the treatment of a number of disorders, there still remains a high degree of uncertainty regarding the most effective parameters that can be used for treatment. This is illustrated by the numerous patents reflect the plethora of possible parameters that have been trialled (see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,808 which utilizes a 20-100 KHz signal generated by an alternating current power supply for the treatment of osteoporosis in bone; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,266,532 and 4,461,663 which describe the use of unidirectional low voltage pulses; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,775, which describes a non-invasive capacitor-coupled signal.
Consequently, it can be seen that there remains a continuing need for a therapeutic regime for the use of EMFP in vivo that correctly identifies clinically useful parameters.